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Chapter 6

Catherine called Gabe and asked him to meet her and the others at JT's place. Vincent had gotten to JT's earlier and updated Tess and JT about the plan to have Gabe search for orphans. The mystery man and the "Agency" were going to have to wait.

Gabe explained he had been thinking the same thing and had started compiling a list. There were three people from the orphanage living in NY; Rudy Slavik, Joe Banks, and Samantha Yourk. They split up, Vincent taking off after Slavik, Tess and Cat after Yourk and Gabe and JT after Banks. The idea was too locate and watch, if Sam showed up they were to send a text alert and wait for Vincent before engaging Sam.

Unknown to everyone else, Gabe had already called Sam and given him the same names. Just before leaving JT's place with JT, Gabe made the excuse to hit the bathroom. He quickly called Sam and told him that he and JT were headed to find Banks. Sam should concentrate on Banks and Gabe would run interference if necessary.

Tess and Catherine located Samantha at the bank where she worked. As they sat outside at the Café, Tess finally got a moment to talk with Cat. "How are you doing?" Tess wondered. Catherine thought a moment, "I'm OK, I would go so far as to say that I am good, now that Vincent and I are back together. I know there is a lot going on and the whole genetics thing is freaking me out, but with Vincent I feel like I can face anything." "I had forgotten the effect he has on you." Tess said.

"What do you mean?" Catherine asked. Tess explained, "When you two were together, even when I didn't know you were with him, you were so confident and strong. Then, he was taken and you changed. It's hard to articulate how, but you seemed lost, scattered and confused."

"I was Tess, I am totally lost without him. I know I always took pride in being strong and independent, but I really am better off with him than without him." Tess took a moment. "Maybe being strong and independent is really fighting for what you want and what makes you happy."

Catherine smiled "That is Vincent."

Vincent had found Slavik and was watching him, not much going on here. His mind started to wander, he was worried about Catherine and how she was taking all of this. The last year had been so hard on her and just as she started to get her feet back under her, the rug gets pulled out again. He didn't believe for one second that their feelings for each other were the result of some experiment done to her as a child or to him while in the army. He hoped she believed it as well.

Gabe and JT could not find Banks. They checked his home, work, gym, and were headed to his girlfriend's apartment as a last ditch effort to find him. JT couldn't help himself and asked Gabe how he was doing after losing Cat to Vincent. Gabe replied, "I don't see it as really loosing Cat to Vincent, you could tell she was never really over him, as much as she tried to make me believe she was. I should have known better, I am just glad we are still friends." Internally JT was rolling his eyes; Gabe was just too smooth, slimy really.

Just as Gabe and JT were going to call it quits, they see Banks walking towards his girlfriend's apartment; he was looking all around him and walking quickly, like he was afraid of something. As they watched Sam stepped out of an alley and grabbed Banks. JT called Vincent, Tess and Cat while Gabe took off after Banks. JT lost sight of both of them as they turned into an alley.

Gabe got around the corner, Sam spun around but when he saw it was Gabe he relaxed. Gabe didn't waste any time and explained that Vincent was on his way and Sam needed to get Banks and take him down to the alternate lab. Sam smiled and took off after Banks. JT caught up with Gabe, who was bent over sucking air into his lungs. "I don't know where they went, it's like they just disappeared."

Vincent arrived and tried to track Sam, but just like earlier he could not track him and he didn't have enough information to track Banks. Discouraged they all met back at the Club, Sam now had Banks and they had no idea what his endgame was. Gabe left the club with an excuse that he had some work to do at the office. After he left, Vincent began to track Gabe. JT had felt that something was off about what had happened in the alley.

Gabe met with Sam in the lab. "Thanks for the heads up and the save back there", said Sam. "Forget about it; let's just see if this serum works." Gabe said. Banks was strapped to a table while Sam injected him with JT's serum; Sam explained to Gabe that he added a little something to the mix. "I added a little something that will help us control him. He has to listen to me", said Sam. "To you?" Gabe questioned. "Yeah", Sam explained that it did not do any good to have a beast that they couldn't control. "This way he will do whatever I tell him to and he won't remember what he has done,"

Gabe was angry," I agreed to help you because I was looking for a formula to create a beast that would HAVE control not BE controlled." " Well I am changing the plan a little bit" said Sam. "It doesn't do me any good to have an independent beast. I need one I can control who can destroy and take out the people who killed my son."

Gabe gritted his teeth, he couldn't tell Sam the truth about why he was helping him, and the Agency was doing everything it could to develop beasts that would be controllable and therefore profitable. What Gabe wanted was the ability to control being a beast, much like Vincent apparently could. Gabe missed that feeling of power; he hated being powerless, especially with Vincent back and throwing all his enhanced special abilities in his face. Gabe didn't care about Sam's mission or the "Agency's" plan for Vincent and Catherine; he just wanted to be a beast again. But Sam's serum was not going to help him and if Sam ever got the idea to inject him…Gabe hated being normal, but being a beast under someone else's control was his worst nightmare.

Vincent had tracked Gabe; he called Catherine so she and Tess could meet him. He watched and was shocked that Sam and Gabe appeared to be working together. He was too late to stop them from injecting Banks with the serum but he was not going to let Banks hurt anyone. Catherine and Tess arrived and Vincent advised that as far as he could tell there was only the 3 of them in there and Banks had been injected but he could not tell if he was fully beast or in some kind of transition. They decided to storm the place. Tess would focus on Gabe, Catherine on Sam and Vincent would handle Banks.

Vincent led the way and kicked open the door, Cat and Tess where through the door right behind him weapons drawn. Banks was still strapped to the table and no danger to them. He was obviously going through transition. Gabe ran out the back and Tess took off after him.

Sam turned toward Catherine and sneered at her, "You're not going to shoot me I'm unarmed." She holstered her gun, "Your right, but I am going to kick your ass." Sam smiled and raised his hands, "I don't think so, I think you're going to let me go." Catherine looked at him, "Why in the hell would I do that?" Sam smiled his creepy half smile, "Because, I can give you the antidote to reverse what I did to Banks."

Catherine looked at Vincent, he looked back at her and then at Banks who was moaning. Catherine looked back at Sam,"You can reverse this?"

"Yep, but you're going to have to let me go to get it." Catherine was torn between saving Banks who was right here in front of her, and stopping Sam so he could not go after the other orphans. Catherine looked back at Vincent with the question in her eyes. He nodded his head in her direction, whatever she decided he would back her up. She decided to save Banks.

"Fine we will let you go, but you have to give Banks the antidote, if it doesn't work the deals off and I am taking you in." "How do I know that you'll keep your word" asked Sam?

"Because I said so," Catherine smiled," I guess you'll just have to trust me."

Sam knew he did not have choice; he took the deal and injected Banks from a different vial. It started to work immediately. He was packing up his stuff when Cat told him to leave it. "You are not taking that with you, I will let you walk out of here for now, but you are not taking anything with you." Sam knew when he was beat; he raised his hands and backed up towards the door. He chuckled at Vincent and Catherine, "till we meet again."

Tess came back as Vincent and Catherine were un-strapping Banks from the examination table. Cat had called an ambulance and they arrived and took Banks. "I lost Gabe, he just disappeared."

"Don't worry Tess, I can track him, whatever he was doing with Sam he was not successful and now he knows we are on to him. He will be desperate now and will make a mistake."

Catherine was worried, "Vincent you have to be careful, Gabe will undoubtedly reach out to his contact at the Agency, and while you may be able to take on Gabe, you can't take on the whole Agency." Vincent put his arm around Catherine," Don't worry I won't do anything stupid." Let's head back to JT's and fill him in, I am sure he is going stir crazy about now.

Stir crazy was putting it mildly. JT was in a full tilt panic when they got back. "So Gabe got away and you let Sam go?" JT asked flabbergasted

"Yes" said Vincent, "But we also saved Banks and got both the serum that Sam doctored from your version and an antidote to that serum. Sam for now is no longer an issue, he does not have the serum and I would be surprised if he had any more stashed anywhere, he was pretty protective of this case. He is a problem for another day. Our focus now needs to be on finding Gabe and making sure he does not disappear into the belly of the beast so to speak."

Gabe had no intention of disappearing; he needed the gem in order for the agency to give him the same treatment that Vincent had. Now that he was not going to be able to use Sam to get what he wanted, he was just going to have to come up with another way to force Vincent's hand.

Catherine and Vincent headed back to his boathouse. "I am exhausted; this has been quite a day." Catherine said. Vincent agreed, "A lot of things have happened today, but at the end of the day you and I are still here and we are together." Catherine tilted her face up to look at Vincent, smiling she said "Together we can overcome anything."